Telephone substation apparatus



Mardl 7, 1944- E. BERTALAN EIAL 2,343,442

' A TELEPHONE SUBSTATION APPARATUS Filed Jan. '7, 1943 I 2 Sheets-Sheet2 W? 22 1 4 F '4 5P 4 4 49,40

E BEETALHN D. M 72 6/4127- HTTOENH.

Patented Mar. 7, 1944 TELEPHONE SUBSTATION APPARATUS Edward Bertalan,Glen Arm, and Dawson M. Taggart, Ruxton, Md., assignors to WesternElectric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of NewYork Application January 7, 1943, Serial No. 471,550

10 Claims.

This invention relates to telephone substation apparatus, and moreparticularly to hand telephone mountings.

Hand telephone substations usually comprise a casing containing thenecessary switching elements, a, hand telephone removably supported insome manner on the casing, and a cord connecting the hand telephone andswitching elements. A retractile type cord is often used, which is madein the form of a helix. It. has been found that if proper care is nottaken the cord will twist or kink and satisfactory swivel elements havebeen designed to overcome this kinking and to allow free rotation of thecord.

However, in' overcoming this problem there.

sometimes has resulted undue wear on the contact elements andconversational disturbances occur occasionally due to the movement ofthe contact elements while a phone call is being made.

The object of this invention is to produce new and improved handtelephone mountings in which undue wear and conversational disturbancesare eliminated.

In one embodiment of this invention a hand telephone substation mountingis provided which comprises a casing, a rotatable contact element withinthe casing, a pivoted switch assembly coacting therewith, a handtelephone resting upon a switching lever which is pivotally securedwithin said casing, a cord connectin the hand telephone and therotatable element, and a detent to prevent free rotation of therotatable contact element at predetermined intervals.

, This invention will be understood clearly from the following detaileddescription and the accompanyin drawings, in which Fig. l is a frontview, partly in section, of a device embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; a

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line i4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail view, showing certain contact elements and a lockingdevice formingpart of the apparatus, and

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 5.

Referring now to the drawings, the telephone substation mounting shownin Fig. 1 comprises a casing it in which is housed a substationswitching mechanism connected by a cord II to a'hand telephone I2, whichis supported by a receiver portion I4 thereof on a receiver hook I3. I

The substation switching mechanism, as shown in Fig. 2, comprises a topplate It having a vertical side plate It made integral therewith.Secured to the plate It are blocks I I and it, which have bores 20 and2| therein to seat bearings 22 and 23, respectively. A shaft 25 extendsthrough the blocks I and I8 in bores 26 and 21, respectively, and mayrotate within the bearings 22 and 23. A nut I9, on a threaded portion 24of the shaft 25, correctly positions the shaft within the blocks and thebearings, and holds it therein.

As shown in Fig. 5, the shaft 25 comprises a base portion 21, havingscrews 28-28 threaded therein. The screws 28-23 connect terminals 29-23(Fig. 2) fastened on the ends of the individual wires of which the cordH is constructed, to wires 30-30 which are positioned within bores El-3|(Fig. 2) formed in the shaft 25. Contact rings 33-33, secured to theshaft 25, are connected to the opposite ends of the wires 30-30. Aswitch assembly 35 (Fig. 2), secured to the block I8, has'elongatedspring contacts 34-34 protruding therefrom. The resiliency oi the springcontacts 34-34 tends to cause them to engage the contact rings33-33.Wires 31-31 (Fig. 3') leading to an outside electrical circuit (notshown) are secured to the switch assembly 35. Thus, an electricalcircuit may be completed through the wires 31-31, the spring contacts34-34, the contact rings 33-33, the wires 30-35), and through the cordII to the hand telephone I2. A cover 38 (Fig. 2) is-fastened to the base2'1 to protect the parts associated therewith.

Extending from the top plate I5 is a depending lug 39 (Fig. 3) madeintegral with the plate and a rod 49 is mounted in the lug 39 and thevertical plate I5, about which a switching lever ti pivots (Fig. l). Theswitching lever 4| comprises the receiver hook I3 formed at one end andtwo arms 42 and 43 (Fig. 2) formed at the other end. One end of a sprin44 is fastened to the arm 42 and the other end of the spring engages thehead of a'lug 45 secured to the plate I8. The spring 44 causes theswitching lever 4! to rotate in a clockwisedirection (as seen in Fig. 1)when the hand telephone I2 is not suspended from the receiver hook I3.The weight of the hand telephone is sufficient to overcome the'tensionof the sprin 44 and when the hand telephone is placed upon the receiverhook the switching lever is rotated in a counterclockwise directionuntil a stop 46 formed on the arm 42 engages the top plate l5.

The arm 43, forming part of the switching lever 4|, has a detent 41secured thereon by screws 4848 (Fig. 3). When the arm 43 is lowered thedetent 41 engages a toothed wheel 50, which is secured on the shaft 25and rotates therewith.

An arm 52 (Fig. 1) depends from the. arm 42 in proximity to a lever 53(Fig. 4) rotatably mounted on a rod 54 secured within the block I8. Whenthe receiver I4 is in place on the hook l3, the arm 52 exerts pressureon the lever 53. A lug 55, forming part of the-lever 53, actuates aU-shaped rod 56, which extends into bores 5|-5'| formed within the blockl8. An'insulating sleeve 58, positioned on the U-shaped rod 56, pushesthe contact springs 34,-34 from their position against the contact rings3333, as seen in Fig. 2, to the position seen in dotted lines in Fig. 5,thus breaking the electrical circuit. Nonconducting spacers 60-60prevent the contact springs 34-34 from engaging each other, and soprevent short circuiting.

The operation of the device is as follows: When the receiver I4 isplaced on the receiver hook l3, the weight of the hand telephone I!overcomes the tension of the spring 44, and the switching lever 4|pivots in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 1. The dependingarm 52, on the arm 42 of the switching lever 4|, exerts' pressureagainst the lever 53, as seen in Fig. 4, rotating the lever in acounterclockwise direction. The lug 55 moves in a counterclockwisedirection, causing the U-shaped rod 56 and the insulated sleeve 58thereon to move forward and overcome the resiliency of the springcontacts34-34. The spring contacts 34-34 are thu forced from theirposition of establishing contact with the rings 3333, and the electricalcontact is broken.

The arm 43 of the switching lever 4| pivots" on the rod 40 in aclockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 3, raising the detent 41 with it."The detent 41 is thus disengaged from the teeth "of the wheel 50,allowing free rota ion of the shaft 25 and the members thereon. The cordl is, therefore, free to turn and to unkink itself.

When the hand telephone I2 is removed from the hook l3 the switchinglever 4| will pivot in a clockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 1, underthe, tension of, the spring 44, and the depending arm 52 of the arm 42will no longer exert any pressure on the lever 53 (Fig. 4). Theresiliency of the spring contacts 34-34 will move them into contact withthe contact rings 33-33, since there L is no pressure exerted on theU-shaped rod 56 by the lug 55. The spring contacts 3434 push against theinsulating sleeve 58, forcing the U- shaped rod 56 toward the block |8,whereupon one end of the U -shaped rod 56 pushes against,

the lug 55, rotating the lug and the lever 53.

At the same time the switching arm 4| 'will move in a counterclockwisedirection, as seen in Fig. 3, carrying the detent 41 downwardly intoengagement with the teeth of the wheel 50. As

a result the wheel 5|J will be locked in place, and any rotation oftheshaft 25 which might otherwise occur because of kinks in the cord I isprevented. This prevents undue wear of the contacts and eliminates anyconversational distur-bances caused by moving-electrical contacts whiletherein without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention.Obviously. devices embodying this invention could be used in conjunctionwith any telephone handset mounting which contains a rotatable element.

What is claimed is:

1. In a telephone substation apparatus including a hand telephone, atelephone mounting including a receiver hook and a cord to connect saidhand telephone with said telephone mounting, means to allow unkinking ofsaid cord comprising a freely rotatable member, and means to hold saidfreely rotatable member stationary when said receiver hook is elevated.

2. In a telephone substation apparatus including a hand telephone, atelephone mounting including a receiver hook and a cord to connect saidhand telephone with said telephone mounting; means to allow unkinking ofsaid cord comprising a freely rotatable member and means to hold saidfreely rotatable member stationary at predetermined'intervals through achange of elevation of said receiver hook.

3. In a telephone substation apparatus including a hand telephone, atelephone mounting including a receiver hook and a cord to connect saidhand telephone with said telephone mounting, means to allow unkinking ofsaid cord comprising a member freely rotatable when said hand telephoneis in place in said receiver hook, and means to hold said freelyrotatable member stationary when said hand telephone is removed fromsaid receiver hook. I

4. In a telephone substation apparatus including a hand telephone, atelephone mounting including a receiver hook and a cord to connect saidhand telephone with said telephone mounting, means to allow unkinklng ofsaid cord comprising a. freely rotatable member having a toothed wheelthereon, and means to engage said toothed 'wheel to hold said freelyrotatable member stationary when said receiver hook is elevated.

5. In a telephone substation apparatus including a hand telephone, atelephone mounting, and a cord to connect said hand telephone to saidtelephone mounting, means to allow unkinking of said cord comprising afreely rotatable member having a toothed wheel thereon, and a detent toengage said toothed wheel to hold said freely rotatable memberstationary at predetermined intervals.

6. In a telephone substation apparatus including a hand telephone, atelephone mounting including'a receiver hook, and a cord to connect saidhand telephone to said telephone mounting, means to allow unkinking ofsaid cord comprising a member having a toothed wheel thereon whichmember is freely rotatable when said hand telephone is in place on saidreceiver hook, and a detent to engage said toothed wheel to hold saidrotatable member stationary when said hand telephone is removed fromsaid receiver hook.

'7. In a telephone substation apparatus including a hand telephone, atelephone mounting including a switching lever formed with a receiverhook at one end thereof and having a spring connected to the oppositeend thereof, the tension of which spring holds said receiver hook in anelevated position when said hand telephone is off said receiver hook,and a cord to connect said hand telephone with said telephone mounting,

meansto allow unkinking of said cord comprising a rotatable memberhaving a toothed wheel thereon, and a detent associated with saidswitching lever to engage with'said toothed wheel at we determinedintervals to hold said rotatable member stationary.

8. In a telephone substation apparatus including a hand telephone, atelephone mounting including a switching lever formed with areceiverhook at one end thereof and having a spring connected to the oppositeend thereof, the tension of which spring holds said receiver hook in anelevated position when said hand telephone is ofi said receiver hook,and a cord to connect said hand telephone with said telephone mounting,means to allow unkinking of said cord comprising a rotatable memberhaving a toothed wheel thereon, and means associated with said switch--ing lever to engage said toothed wheel at predetermined intervals tohold said rotatable member stationary.

9. In a telephone apparatus including a hand telephone, a telephonemounting including a switching lever formed with a receiver hook at oneend thereof and having a spring connected to the opposite end thereof,the tension of which spring holds said receiver hook in an elevatedposition when said hand telephone is off said receiver hook, and a cordto connect said hand telephone with said telephone mounting, means toallow unkinking of said cord comprising ,a rotatable member, and meansassociated with said switching lever to hold said rotatable memberstationary at predetermined intervals.

'10. In a telephone apparatus including a hand telephone, a telephonemounting including a pivoted switching lever formed with a receiver hookat one end thereof and having a spring connected to the opposite endthereof, the tension of which spring holds said receiver hook in anelevated position when said hand telephone is off said receiver hook,and a cord to connect said hand telephone with said telephone mounting,means to 'allow unkinking of said cord comprising a member positionedwithin said telephone mounting and having a toothed wheel rigidlymounted thereon adjacent to said switching lever, which member is freelyrotatable when said hand telephone is in place on said receiver hook,and a detent carried by said switching lever adapted to engage saidtoothed wheel to hold said rotatable member stationary when said handtelephone is removed from said receiver hook.

EDWARD BERTALAN, DAWSON M. TAGGART.

